Street or station indicator and card-displaying device



(No Model.)

W. A. TURNER.

STRRRT 0R STATION INDICATOR AND GARD DISPLAYING DRVIGR.

No. 394,741. Patented Deo. 18, 1888.

N. PETERS, Pmwumnsmpnur. wmangwn. n. c.

UNITE o STATES l PATENT OFFICE@ STREET OR STATION INDICATOR AND CARD-DISPLAYING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 394,741, dated December 18, 1888.

Serial No. 271,733. (No model.)

To' all 7071.077?, 772/77/ concern:

.Re it known that I, XVILLIM A. TURNER, of San Francisco, San Francisco county, State ot' California, have invented an Improvement in a Card Display and Indicator; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description o't the same.

M y invention relates to a novel street and station indicator and vcard-displaying device, and its object is to construct an appliance which shall utilize all the space in the indicator-box for the successive display ot' cards or signs bearing names or other matter.

My invention consists, essentially, of a box or case whose front, with the exception of a small space at the upper left-hand corner, is transparent, and which is filled or nearly tilled by two sets ot' advertising cards or plates, together with mechanism by which one set is Aforced toward the t'ront and the other toward the rear of the box, and in combination with this of pulling-gri ps by which the front plate is pulled to one end and the rear plate is pulled to the opposite end, thel two being simultaneously drawn in opposite directions together, with the mechanism for operating the same, all ot' which will be more fully described by reference to the accompanying' drawings, in which- Figure I is a perspective view ot' my device. Fig. 2 is a bottom view, the bottom plate being removed. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the bottom part of the box, taken through the line i/ je] of Fig. L.

A is the box containing the plates li, which are ot' such rela-tive size that when two plates are placed end to end their joint length is a little less than the internal length ot' the box, and the width ot each plate is a little less than the internal width ot' the box. The internal depth oi the box A is equal to the thick.- ness oi' one of the sets of plates or cards plus the thickness of one and one-half plate, so that the top plate of either set maypass readily upon the other set. The whole of the two front plates which stand side by side are eX- posed by the transparent front otl the case, except the upper part ot' one side, which is covered by an opaque plate, S, so that as the movable card or plate slides across the front of the box thel name of the street which is i imprinted upon its upper edge will be concealed by this opaque plate.

The advertising plates or cards are arranged in two sets, B and I3', as above described. The set B receives a constant pressure toward the rear oit' the box by the springs C and C2, and is maintained in a perpendicular position by the springs D D2. rihe set of plates B receives a constant tendency toward the front ofthe box by means of the springs C2, and is maintained in a perpendicular position by the springs D2, corresponding with the springs D of the iirst set of plates, as described. By this means a small space is left behind one set of plates and in front of the other set, which is sufficient to allow one card from each set to be moved past the other set simultaneously andV in opposite directions. In order to guide these plates in their transverse or side movements and to prevent the adjacent edges from interfering as they pass each other, short transverse rails a are fixed in the bottom of the box, there being a sutlicient distance between their ends and the sides of the box to allow the plates to slide from end to end when they are transferred by the pulling-grips. The lower edges of the cards or plates are grooved or notched, so as to iit and slide upon the guides d when the notches arrive opposite the ends of the rails.

At the bottom of t-he box, and extending longitudinally from end to end, is a groove or slot, in which slides the frontpulling-grip, E. This pulling-grip is designed to move vthe cards, and at the same time to occupy the least possible space. It has a flexible arm, F, and a hook, G, this hook dropping beyond the edge of the card or plate to be moved, so that when. the grip is pulled forward it draws a card, causing it to pass from one end to the other of the box and beneath the holdingsprings C and D, above described.

Parallel with and behind the iirst groove in the bottom of the box is a second longitudinal groove or slot, in which slides a second pulling-grip, E, constructed like the first, but moving in the opposite direction and acting upon the rear card or plate of the other set. For the purpose of operating the indicator the cords I and J are attached to the pullinggrip. For the convenient attachment of IOO these cords I have in the present ease shown two projecting pins. These cords pass around pulleys L and M and are attached to said p ulleys in. such ay manner that when one of the pullinggri ps i s moved the other receives a corresponding` motion. Each pulling-grip has a constant tendency toward one end ot' the box, this being caused by the tension ot' a spring, which in the present ease l have shown as a 1o coil-spring,N,which may operate upon one oli' the pulleys. A eord, l?, for operating the indicator, is attached at some convenient point. In the present ease l have shown it as attached to the pulley l). ln the length ot the cord or chain I have shown a stout spring, which, it' an overpull be given to the cord or chain, will yield, so as to save the apparatus from injury.

The rigidity oi' the box may be increased, il? 2o desired, bymeans of a narrow transverse par tition or stay between the ends ot' the two sets ot' cards.

vhen thedevice .is in operai'ion,the advertising-space otl two cards Awill be exposed to view, while the name ot' only one street or station will appear, and thus any number oli' streets, stations, advertising-cards, or other devices may be exposed, and the whole apparatus will occupy but little more space than 3o is suiiieient to contain the cards themselves, while the operating inechanism is reduced to the least possible amount. dien the cord l) is pulled, the grips E E will seize the vt'ront and rear plates ot' the two series, respectively, and draw them in opposite directions and to opposite ends ot' the box. As these plates pass beneath the springs C and C2, they are forced transversely across the indicator-box, one set from the rear toward the front and 4o the other set from the iiront toward the rear. W'hen the pull upon the cord is released, the grips are returned to their original position by the action ot' the spring N, above described, and are thus in a position to move the succeeding pairs ot' plates in the same manner.

R R are latches fixed to the top or bottom ol the box, so as to move up and down in the plane in which the plates stand.

AlVhen the plates are moved longiturflinall y 5o along the l'ront and rear of the box, they depress t-he latches lt, and when the plates have reached the end ot their longitudinal course they are pushed transversely by the springs C and l.) and pass beyond the latches R, which latches then sprin out in front of the plates and prevent their return into the spaces at the front and back, which must be kept open for the succeeding plates to slide in.

Having thus describetfl my inventioinwhat l claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. l'n a street or station ilulieator, a box or case having two sets ot' cards or plates nearly filling it, springs by which one set, ot' cards or plates are 'forced to the Afront and the other set to the rear, and oppositely-moving grips for moving the cards lengthwise ot the box, substantially as herein described.

2. The box containing two sets olf cards or plates and the grips by which the cards or plates at the `front and rear are moved in oppositedirections, in combination with. springs for mov ing one set ol? plates toward the l'ront and the other sct toward the rez'rr, the pulleys, and eonneeting-eords whereby the two grips are made to operate simultaneously, one et' said pulleys having ar returning-spring eonnected with it, substantially as herein described.

2). The ease with the cards or plates, syn-ings t'or moving said plates t'ront and rea-r, and grips and connections tor moving the plates lengthwise ot' the box, in combination with thelatches R, which t'all in l'rontol' the cards and prevent their falling into the spaces reserved Vli'or the travel ot' sueceedin cards, substantially as herein dt scribed.

4f. The cmnbination, with the ease, the two sets of cards or plates, and the springs bearing against the plates to torce one set toward the front and the other set toward the rear, ot the grip or device 'or moving the cards or plates, consisting ot' the flexible arm, thebeveled head or hook, and the body with points for the attaolunent of the aetuating-eords, substantially as herein deserilmd.

5. The two sets ot' cards or plates, the springs for forcing one set toward the front and the other set toward the rear, the grips and eonnections lor moving the cards or plates lengthwise, and the boxv or case having a transparent vfront exposing both cards which stand side by side, in combination with an opaque plate covering the upper edge ot one ot" the cards, so as to coneeal the name oli' the street or station just passed when the card containing it has been `moved beneath this plate, substantially as herein described.

l'n witness whereof' l have hereilnto set my hand.

\\'I'ILLTAM` A. '.lRNER.

W itnesses:

s. ll. NoUnsE, ll. (l. LEE.

IOO 

